


Two of Us on the Run

by rhiannonsgypsy



Category: Lie to Me (TV)
Genre: Callian - Freeform, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-24
Updated: 2019-01-23
Packaged: 2019-10-15 07:23:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17524343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhiannonsgypsy/pseuds/rhiannonsgypsy
Summary: Cal Lightman had always been a man on the run. Recently, however, he'd taken to dragging his business partner and personal best friend along with him.





	1. Prologue

Doctors Cal Lightman and Gillian Foster were running.

Not in a theoretical, figurative, or even poetic sense. They were  _literally_ running for their lives.

As she ran, her lungs burning with the sharp intake of oxygen, Gillian mentally chastised herself. She just  _knew_ that it would end this way.

The very minute that her partner had demanded her attention by calling her name from across the hallway that same morning in that  _specific_ way that he does when he's up to his neck in something, she  _knew_ that at some point in the day, she'd be fighting for her livelihood.


	2. Ready Positions

" _Gillian!"_

Cal had shouted the moment he'd caught a glimpse of her familiar figure from around the corner that morning. When Gill heard this, after taking into account the insufferably impatient and all to unceremonious tone of his voice as the use of her first name, she stopped where she was and rolled her eyes.

Whatever was coming wasn't going to be any for for her. Likely another mess that she would have to clean up because she  _could_ and she  _would._ And because she couldn't leave Cal Lightman to his own defences no matter how badly she may want to some days.

As she crossed her arms and turned around to see her partner in crime walking towards her, she braced herself for whatever it was that he'd done.

"On a scale of one to ten," Cal began, gesturing wildly with his hands as he so often did, "how bad d'you think it'd be if I -"

Without needing to hear any more, Gillian cut him off, "At least a  _twenty,_ Cal." Her words were satirical, but her voice and eyes were like steel. Now standing right in front of her, Cal shrugged apathetically, something that Gill recognized as one of his many nervous twitches that he assumed she knew nothing about. "Let me  _guess..."_ she gestured with her own hand as her voice took on the sarcastic tone that made Cal back up ever so slightly. There were certain sides of Gillian Foster that genuinely scared him, "... you've poked your nose into something that you were never supposed to get involved in, you're being hunted down by some kind of powerful individual, and now you're going to  _disappear_ for the day while  _I_ work things out until it's like nothing ever happened?" Gillian narrowed her eyes as she reprimanded him for something he'd done that he hadn't even had the chance to elaborate on quite yet.

Cal eyed her warily before speaking. Though he knew that she was waiting for an explanation, he never really knew when it was safe for him to speak during situations like these. "No," he waved her away in a disbelieving tone, as if her expectations were  _completely_ ridiculous. "I need your held with something."

Lowering her eyebrows, Gillian looked at him cautiously. There  _had_ to be a catch.  _Cal Lightman_ never needed her  _help_ whenever he fell - or, practically  _jumped_ \- into hot water. He always needed her to either stay as far away as possible from whatever it was that he'd gotten himself into, or he needed her to fix whatever mess he'd made without offering so much as an adequate explanation.

She was silent as she waited for the inevitable elaboration. Shifting his weight rather uncomfortable before he began, it was clear that Cal was in some serious trouble. But, Gillian couldn't help but wonder where this was all coming from. Asking for her help was certainly uncharacteristic. "You know my friend Bobby Kripps?" Cal began casually, pointing at her.

Gillian rolled her eyes exasperatedly, why he could never manage to just get down to the point was beyond her. " _No,_ Cal... I  _don't_ know him." She said, her tone still sharp and accusatory. "Have you forgotten? You don't tell me  _anything."_

"And yet," Cal teased, "I tell you  _loads_ more than anyone else." He shrugged again as she gave him a look that urged him to get on with his explanation. "Well, he got himself into a bit of trouble." Cal eyed her carefully as he gestured wildly with his hands. "I tried to help him out, and now I'm in it twice as deep."

Suppressing a sigh, Gill clenched her teeth. "Drugs, gambling, or sex?" The holy trinity of scandal.

"Drugs." Cal noted his partner tense up even more as he spoke. Out of the three things she'd mentioned, drugs were by far the most dangerous to get involved with. "He got caught up with some dangerous people, he mentioned my name when they hounded him last night, now good ol' Bobby's taken off nowhere to be found, leavin' me with only a warning that they'll be expecting me."

Finally breathing a deep sigh, Gillian shut her eyes and placed a hand to her temple. The words  _here we go again_ were bouncing around her already pounding head. "Call Ben." She suggested, always quick to try and persuade him to use the authorities that they had at their disposal no matter how many times Cal shot that idea down.

"Not the best idea, love." Cal said, glancing behind himself out of habit as he softened his voice as he did when he was about to break some bad news to her.

After hearing this, Gillian looked up at him in exasperation. There was more. There was  _always_ more. More that he wasn't telling her, more that he claimed he  _couldn't_ tell her. It was safer that way. She had no idea why he constantly thought she wasn't just as good as he was, why she couldn't handle anything that he could, why she was always left out of his heavy fights. What she didn't realize was that this wasn't his reason for not including her when things got messy. He knew full well that she could hold her own, but he also knew that he couldn't live with himself should anything happen to her. He was simply acting out of concern for her protection.

Gillian Foster was - in his eyes - the embodiment of genuineness. She was clean. He didn't want to drag her down to his level, she deserved to stay right where she was, high above him. Over the years, truths had come to light, things had happened, she probably should have fell from the perfectly constructed pedestal that he'd placed her upon, but he never let that happen.

"What aren't you telling me, Cal?" She demanded, but her tone reflected more exhaustion than anger. When the look that he responded with made it clear that he wasn't about to tell her any more than she already knew, Gillian frowned with a tilt of her head. "I know that you're  _completely_ unfamiliar with the concept of accepting help from anyone... but you asked for mine. If we're going to work together on this, you're going to have to tell me. It's better to come out with it now that when we're halfway through this and someone forced it out of you."

Waving away her characteristic lecture, Cal shook his head impatiently as he explained. "It's nothing really, just that I  _might_ be more connected to this than we know, right now."

Now, Gillian's expression morphed into plain horror. " _Drugs?_ Cal -"

Before she could fly off the handle, Cal gestured away her insinuation. "Not drugs. The people who were after Kripps  _might_ also have some  _potential_ ties to the  _not completely_ legal gambling industry." He emphasized his last words as if he was just managing to get them out. He hoped that this wouldn't set her off into a tailspin.

Rolling her eyes with a sigh seemed to be a theme for Gillian Foster that morning. "I assume that's how you know this  _Bobby Kripps_ in the first place?" Her question was rhetorical, but Cal answered with a wince. "And,  _correct me_ if I'm wrong, but you told him what you do for a living to solidify some kind of argument that you were dead set on winning. And now,  _imagine that,_ someone's out to get you." Her voice should have been condescending, but it really seemed only filled with dread. It was always the same old routine with Cal. Cat and mouse - and Gillian always worried that it was  _she_ who was the mouse in every situation.

"Hit that one right on the head, I'll say." Cal said, always impressed at just how  _good_ she truly was.

Gillian looked at the man before her in disbelief, "Why do you keep risking your life to prove a point?" She asked, though her genuine curiosity was masked by her irritation.

Before Cal could retaliate, Ria Torres came around the corner and took on a strange demeanor when she noticed the two of them. This caught the attention of her bosses and they turned away from each other to stare quizzically at her.

"Foster -" the younger girl stated, as if she was startled to see her. Both Cal and Gill caught the uncertain tone of her voice, though only one of them knew why it was there. "You haven't talked to -"

" _Loker?"_ Foster suggested with a nod, telling Ria that she knew  _exactly_ what was going on with that particular young man. "Yes, I have."

Unsettled by the fact that he was obviously being left out of something, Cal tried to catch either of their attention by sending them confused and expectant looks. "So, you  _know_ about -" Torres began, only to be cut off yet again by her boss.

"Yes, I do." Foster said with a smile that obviously masked her true feelings on the subject which Ria could tell were a mix between annoyance and discomfort perhaps with even a dash of embarrassment.

"And, you're  _not_ -"

"Nope."

"Okay." Torres said definitively before turning and fleeing the scene just as quickly as she'd arrived.

Gillian turned back to Cal to deal with the pressing matter at hand as if nothing had changed but Cal wasn't about to let it go that easily. "What are you two on about, then?" He asked in such an impatient way that reminded his partner just how little self-restraint the man before her possessed.

"Nothing, Cal." Gill said with that same masking smile that in Lightman's mind represented everything that she didn't tell him.

"Didn't seem like  _nothing,_ now did it?"

"Welcome to my world." She said teasingly, though she was truly serious. When he shot her a look that told her that he wasn't going to give up on this one quite so easily, she shook her head with a small smile. "It's nothing like getting involved with  _gambling drug dealers_ out for blood, I'll tell you that much."

 _Touché,_ Cal thought. Giving in, he decided to let it go just for the time being, but tucked it away into the back of his mind to save for later.

"What were you even  _thinking,_ Cal?" She began again, indicating that they were back to reprimanding him for yet another one of his bad decisions. "If you absolutely  _have_ to gamble - which you know  _very_ well that you  _shouldn't_ \- why can't you at  _least_ do it  _legally?"_

They began to walk synchronously towards the lab, where they knew they were both needed to bring the day to a commencement. "You keep your  _morals_ away from me." He teased, evoking another roll of his partner's blue eyes.

"Cal, I  _want_ to help you, but I  _really_ think it would be best if we just get the F.B.I. involved." She pressed, causing him to turn to her before they entered the lab.

" _Come on,_ Gill." He said casually, as if he  _wasn't_ asking her to get involved with an illicit organization in order to save his ass, "It's not like I'm asking you to do anything illegal!"

Gillian widened her eyes, "Literally  _everything_ about this is  _illegal,_ Cal!" She rebuked, but Cal just gave her a look before they closed the subject for the time being as they stepped into the lab where their employees were awaiting their instruction.

Immediately upon their entrance, all conversation came to an immediate and suspicious halt. Cal noted this and glanced around the room but decided that he didn't have time to press the subject. "Alright, Loker and Torres, you take the lead on this one." Cal said, handing Ria the folder he had in his hand. It was a simply political case, they'd be able to handle it on their own just fine. "Foster and I've got to head out, don't call us." That was all he said before turning to leave the room.

Gillian thought about how she really should have been keeping count of how many times she'd rolled her eyes within a few mere minutes, it must have been a record. "Feel free to call if you need anything." She added, refuting her partner's previous statement.

Just before they left, a joke was made across the room. Almost inaudible, obviously meant for the ears of the bosses, but the two of them didn't miss much. "Are you sure  _Loker_ can't go with Dr. Foster?" A few chuckles had erupted from the back of the room and Cal immediately turned to see Ria put a hand over her face as Loker's cheeks turned a colour of pink that Lightman immediately found revolting.

Sending out a confused look as he tried in vain to read the room, Cal looked to Foster, who seemed unfazed and almost amused about the situation. "Nothing, Cal." She brushed him off but kept him intrigued before leading him out of the room.

 


	3. On Your Marks

"You're the lie guy?" One of the men in black questioned upon Lightman and Foster's arrival earlier that day when they'd found themselves in the furnace room of an unfamiliar D.C. skyscraper.

"Nice place you got here." Cal said sarcastically as he looked around the bare concrete walls.

"Answer the question." The man demanded forcefully, realizing that it was time for him to establish his authority. As he yelled, the other men around him readied their arms. Two grabbing both of Cal's arms and two grabbed Gillian's, preventing them both from moving. This was no time for Cal Lightman's immature games.

" _Hey,"_ Cal yelled back, never one to be tested, "we're not going to get anywhere that way!" He shouted in retaliation, hoping that they would be able to see reason. "You can threaten and intimidate but the easy truth is that we're here 'cause you  _need_ us. You can't get the answers you want if we're  _dead,_ simple as that."

Uncertain looks were tossed around the room, but the grips never loosened. "Who's  _she?"_ The man in charge demanded, gesturing towards Foster with his handgun.

"She's my partner." That was the only explanation that Cal was obviously going to offer up, and the men seemed to be wary but ultimately alright with her presence. When no one spoke and Cal again noted the forceful grip that these ruffians had on his partner, he felt the need to clarify something else. "Did I mention the sock in the jaw you'll be receiving if you lay a  _finger_ on her?"

It was obvious what Cal had meant by this. They were to  _both_ remain unharmed, otherwise the truth would never be brought to light. Upon silent orders from the man who appeared to be in charge, the four men finally let go of Cal and Gillian's arms.

And then, the real battle began. Some might have even described it as the visualization of art. Cal spoke, Gillian observed, the two of them communicated only through facial expressions but managed to say everything that needed to be said. They were minutes away from having talked their way out of the entire situation when the sirens rang out from outside the building. Cal cursed under his breath as chaos broke out. " _The feds?_ You brought the  _feds_ into this?" The armed man yelled at them as orders were called out and everything went to hell.

Lightman and Foster hand't the slightest idea how the bureau had managed to figure out just where they were, but they'd bet just about anything that their own Agent Reynolds had played a part. Men were placed at the doors with their guns loaded and aimed, Foster was taken God only knew where, and Cal continued to be questioned now rather frantically by the one man. Though now, he was on his own.

Not only did he not have a second set of eyes on the situation, he couldn't focus out of worry for Gillian. He didn't remember much, nor did he know how he'd managed to talk his way out of it, but he remembered the shouting. Eventually, the men had to choose between berating Lightman and Foster and saving their own skins.

When the F.B.I. agents burst through the concrete doors, it was time for action. Shots were fired from every angle, Cal broke free the second that the opportunity presented itself and had found Foster locked away in some small room within minutes. She had been tied to a chair with her hands bound behind her and a look of displeasure on her face. As Cal untied the knots that encircled her wrists, Gillian was quick to mock. " _You know,_ Cal... " she said impatiently, "... even after almost  _ten years_ with you, I  _still_ don't know how you keep managing to get us into these situations."

"Well," he'd finally freed her hands and she stood to face him, "got to keep you on your toes somehow, darling." And then, they were running.

They'd climbed thirteen sets of stairs while under hot pursuit, but barely felt anything. Adrenaline was to thank for that, but the chase had only just begun.


	4. Get Set

Cal had no plan.

As Gillian ran beside him, she knew this. She knew that she was putting her life in the hands of a man who lived his own life through unpredictability and impulsiveness, and yet she had complete faith in him. That's what their partnership meant.

He should have been thinking. Frantically racking his brilliant brain for a way to get him and Foster out of the predicament that they were in. Running was never simply the answer. But instead, all he could focus on was the fact that the woman beside him was running in bloody  _high heels._

The fact that she hadn't yet broken an ankle was more than impressive. But, thinking about her shoes soon lead to the memory of what had happened much earlier, with Torres and then with Loker and the rest of the staff. Forgetting how completely inappropriate it was to bring it up given their current situation, Cal couldn't help himself. "Eh,  _Foster?"_ He shouted, and Gillian gave him a nervous look as they continued to run for their lives. "Why're Loker and Torres being so  _weird_ around you?"

Gillian had been hoping for the declaration of his glorious plan to save their asses, but gave him a look of absolute disbelief as he decided to take this opportunity to prod at her personal life. "We have  _five_ people trying to  _kill_ us right now, Cal! This is  _no_ time for -"

"Actually," he interrupted, glancing around the room as his plan finally began to fabricate, "it's more like eight."

Both of them whipped around as the dreaded sound of footsteps were heard almost directly behind them. "Oh,  _sorry,_ I wasn't  _specific_ enough for you!"

Lightman and Foster were forced to come to a stop as they reached the end of the room. Gillian glanced hurriedly at her partner, hoping to God that he'd come up with a way to get them out of this. He knew exactly what she was thinking, and he knew exactly how much she would  _despise_ what he'd come up with.

"I'm just saying," he began, moving across the small office building to pick u a chair without any explanation, "if we're going to die, might as well get your facts straight, love." And that was all he'd uttered before throwing the chair at the glass wall separating the building from the outdoors and tried not to calculate the distance from where they stood on the twelfth floor of the building to the dark waves of the harbour directly beneath them.

Before Gillian could even register the fact that Cal had grabbed her hand to pull her towards him, the  _eight_ men came bursting around the corner, guns aimed straight for them with their steady fingers on the triggers.

But, at this point, Cal had already shoved Gillian out of the building.


	5. Go

Cal silently thanked God that he hadn't merely _imagined_ the fact that the harbour had been right beneath the building as he came up for air.

Before he even registered the fact that he wasn't the  _only_ one who had just fallen from twelve stories, he realized that jumping out of a building was actually something that he'd never done before. Then, he looked around himself rather frantically for the woman whom he had taken down with him.

A wave of relief hit him upon seeing her gasping in disbelief nearby right before a  _literal_ wave covered Gillian's head for a moment. She was furious, among other things, but those feelings could all come to her when she was safely on land once more. It may have been the middle of spring, but the wind was sharp today and the water was not at all inviting nor particularly safe to be swimming in.

Cal gestured towards the nearby dock and made it almost effortlessly while Gillian struggled behind him. The waves seemed to be hitting her in a way that made them both wonder if the universe had some kind of grudge against her as she tried to keep herself from going under while swimming in a pencil skirt along with the high heels that were strapped to her feet wasn't the easiest of tasks.

Finally grabbing on to the metal ladder the moment it was within her reach, Gillian pulled herself into a position where she could clutch the sturdy structure and let herself breath for a moment. They stayed like that - on either side of the latter - still submerged in the water - just long enough to chill them both to the bone as the processed what had just happened.

"When this is all over," Foster said with a vacant look in her eyes, "I want my sanity back." She finished bluntly before pulling herself up the ladder, evoking a chuckle from her partner who followed suite.

Ringing out her skirt atop the dock, Gillian didn't take but a millisecond to turn around and lay into her no good partner. " _You know,_ Cal," she began, her voice and eyes filled with many emotions - most of them with negative connotations, "I don't know what goes through your head sometimes, I  _really_ don't."

Cal looked at her in disbelief as he readied himself to retaliate. If anything, she should have been expressing her gratitude. "I  _saved_ your  _life!"_ He argued, raising his voice as he did when the two of them fought.

"You pushed me off a  _building!"_ Gillian snapped back, gesturing with her hand to the skyscraper that they'd just plummeted out of.

Cal paused a moment to look at her, wondering if she was serious. "To  _save_ your  _life!"_

Gillian sighed sharply and crossed her arms, but said nothing more. She hated arguing with Cal, she didn't know why she did it so often. He shrugged and raised his eyebrows as if to ask if she was finished, and after a moment, he noticed the slight hint of a smile on her shivering lips that she was trying her best to hide.

"Come on, love." Cal said finally, placing an arm on her back as he lead them somewhere safe, "Let's get you warm." His voice was barely a whisper, but she appreciated it for all that it was.


End file.
